Teacher unions

FILE - This Sept. 10, 2012 file photo shows Chicago teachers walk walking a picket line outside a school in Chicago, after they went on strike for the first time in 25 years. Teachers in Chicago, the nation's third-largest school district, again are inching closer to a strike that could take place as early as next month. AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)

CHICAGO (AP) — Teachers in the nation's third-largest school district are inching closer to a strike that could take place as early as next month. After rejecting the district's latest offer, Chicago educators are negotiating issues including pay, staffing shortages and class sizes. Chicago's last...

FILE - In this Monday, July 25, 2016, file photo, Randi Weingarten, president of American Federation of Teachers, speaks as Lee Saunders, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, applauds during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Union membership among public employees has fallen only slightly in the nation’s most unionized states since the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that government workers no longer could be required to pay union fees, according to an analysis of federal data conducted for The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Anticipating that the U.S. Supreme Court might end mandatory union fees for public employees, some labor-friendly states enacted laws last year to protect membership rolls while unions redoubled their recruitment efforts. Those steps appear to have paid off, at least...

HOUSTON (AP) — Echoing one of their top Democratic presidential rivals, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris promised Friday to nominate an educator as secretary of education if either wins the nomination and defeats President Donald Trump. "We don't treat you with dignity," Biden, the former vice president...

Protesters gather into the night against an unpopular extradition bill in Hong Kong on Sunday, June 16, 2019. Hong Kong citizens marched for hours Sunday in a massive protest that drew a late-in-the-day apology from the city's top leader for her handling of legislation that has stoked fears of expanding control from Beijing in this former British colony. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong against an extradition bill (all times local): 11:15 p.m. Pro-democracy activists helping to drive mass protests in Hong Kong over a proposed extradition law have rejected an apology issued by the city's leader. Leaders of the Civil Human Rights...

Oklahoma state Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, listens to a question during an interview in her office Wednesday, May 8, 2019, in Oklahoma City. Hicks is a Democrat and former elementary school teacher who won what had been a Republican-held seat in northwest Oklahoma City last November. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Teachers who staged successful walkouts to demand better pay and public school funding in several states last year are showing they're intent on staying politically engaged. Teacher unions in Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky and West Virginia report increases in membership, and many...

FILE - In this April 10, 2019, file photo, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos testifies before the House Education and Labor Committee at a hearing on 'Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Education' on Capitol Hill in Washington. Education, it’s safe to say, is not President Donald Trump’s top priority. Instead, he entrusts that realm to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who after two years has emerged as one of the most polarizing figures in the Cabinet but also one of its most enduring members. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

BALTIMORE (AP) — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Monday that recent teacher strikes have "ultimately hurt kids" and that labor disputes should be handled outside the classroom. DeVos made the comments in Baltimore while speaking at a conference for education journalists. Teachers from West...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A union lobbyist who worked just one day as a substitute teacher is entitled to a pension worth potentially tens of thousands of dollars annually, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in an opinion reinforcing its position that retirement benefits promised to public...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's standing on teacher pay keeps improving compared to other states. The National Education Association released on Tuesday its annual teacher salary rankings. The data show North Carolina ranked 34th in average teacher pay during the 2017-18 school year at more...

Hundreds of teachers fill the Kentucky Capitol on Thursday, March 7, 2019, in Frankfort, Ky. At least four school districts were forced to close on Thursday because too many teachers had called in sick to protest proposed legislation at state Capitol. (AP Photo/Adam Beam)

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — At least four Kentucky school districts were forced to close Thursday as hundreds of teachers called in sick to protest proposed legislation at the state Capitol. It was the third time in the past week districts were forced to cancel classes because of too many teacher...

FILE - In this Feb. 21, 2019 file photo, a student holds up a sign while marching with parents, teachers and supporters outside of Manzanita Community School in Oakland, Calif. Striking teachers in Oakland are expected to vote Sunday, March 3, 2019 on a contract deal aimed at ending a seven-day walkout. The Oakland Education Association postponed the vote by a day after announcing earlier it would happen Saturday. The 3,000 teachers walked off the job Feb. 21, effectively shutting the city's 86 schools to demand higher pay, smaller classes and more school resources. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of Oakland teachers are back in classrooms after union members voted to approve a contract deal giving them 11 percent raises and a one-time 3 percent bonus. Oakland Education Association union members approved the deal Sunday and went back to work on Monday. The...